


Doesn't it feel like our time is running out

by badwolf_doctor



Series: {Known to be crazy, reckless, and wild} [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Cayde-6 Being Cayde-6 (Destiny), Cayde-6 and Helios have an interesting friendship, Gen, Ghost and Sagira have a little rivalry, Glint is not Helios' biggest fan at first, Helios tends to hide how he feels unless he has to deal with things to help someone else, I did not intend for Helios to get so attached to Crow, Sagira and Helios like to tease Sunspot, Sunspot just wants Glint to give his Guardian a chance, feat. one of Helios' fireteam members, season of the hunt spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24946954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badwolf_doctor/pseuds/badwolf_doctor
Summary: A place to collect my various little snippets of Destiny fic.
Series: {Known to be crazy, reckless, and wild} [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1626607
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	1. Trust

**Author's Note:**

> This one is set during "The Taken King" and I'm not gonna lie, it was _definitely_ inspired by a Hardison and Eliot conversation from Leverage; feat. Cayde-6 and Helios and their odd friendship.

The Guardian known as Helios wasn’t sure how he’d ended up here. No, that wasn’t true. He knew  _ exactly _ how he’d ended up here. Cayde had said  _ I have a foolproof idea _ and he’d just gone along with it. No questions asked. Because for some reason, he  _ trusted _ the Hunter Vanguard. Full stop. No ifs, ands, or buts. Maybe that was the problem. 

Cayde had sent him to retrieve a stealth drive from one of his ( _ many _ ) secret caches. Telling Helios that it would keep Oryx from seeing him coming. Then once he was aboard the dreadnaught, he could set things up so they could transmat more Guardians in and effectively wipe the Taken out. 

It had sounded like a solid plan in theory. Even after the difficult time he’d had securing the drive from a shadow of Oryx. 

Cayde and Amanda had affixed the drive to Eris Morn’s jumpship, to mask him with the scent of Hive. And then, off Helios and Sunspot had gone. Straight towards the dreadnaught that had decimated the Awoken fleet. 

That, of course, was when everything started to go wrong. The stealth generator had failed, revealing the tiny jumpship. Luckily, Sunspot had managed to transmat them both out of there before the ship had been destroyed. Unfortunately, they’d destroyed Eris’ ship (which wasn’t likely to make her happy) and they were now stuck on the dreadnaught. Great. Wonderful. Why the hell did Helios let Cayde talk him into things?

“I told you the stealth drive would work!” Cayde’s voice came over the comms. 

Helios frowned. “Cayde, when and if I make it out of here, you and I are going to have a discussion on the meaning of the word ‘ _ work’ _ .”

“Sure, we hit a small hiccup but you’re alive, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I’m alive. But I’m also stuck on a ship full of things that want to kill me.” Helios ducked down behind some rubble to hide from passing Taken. “Do you even have a plan to get me out of here? I mean, what happens if I run into a hoard of Taken, or Oryx?”

Cayde was quiet for a moment. “If you run into the Taken or Oryx, shoot ‘em I guess.”

Helios sighed. “Oh, I’m gonna shoot  _ somebody _ ,” he replied. 

”Why do I get the feeling you’re talking about me?” Cayde’s tone was joking.

“Because I am.”

He heard Cayde sigh. “You trust me, right?”

“Yeah, I do,” Helios answered. Because despite all this, he really did. 

“Good. The plan hasn’t changed much. Except, before you plant a beacon for us, you’re gonna have to shut down the dreadnaught’s weapon. Then, we’ll come to get you.  _ I’ll _ come and get you, okay?” Cayde promised.

“You are gonna owe me for this one Cayde,” Helios said.

“And I’ll pay you back,” Cayde promised. “You like ramen, right?”

“I don’t know what that is,” Helios admitted.

“Oh, you’re gonna love it. And it will  _ more _ than make up for sending you and Sunspot up there alone,” Cayde was silent for a moment. “Stay safe, warlock.”

“No promises, hunter.”


	2. Friendly rivalry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sunspot is _frustrated_ by his Guardian and Sagira's friendship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Sagira and Sunspot's little rivalry.   
> This snippet was originally part of something larger, but it didn't fit in so it was cut. But I love it too much to never let it see the light of day.

“Good to see you again Guardian; things are always more interesting when you’re around,” Sagira said, grin evident in her tone.

Sunspot was doing his best approximation of a frown, staring between his Guardian and Osiris’ Ghost. “Sagira, stop trying to steal my Guardian.”

Sagira laughed. “Aw, Sunspot; still salty about the whole bodyjacking thing? I said I was sorry.”

“C’mon Spot, be nice,” Helios advised.

Sunspot whirled around to face his Guardian. “When somebody bodyjacks  _ you _ and tries to steal  _ me _ away, see if you can play nice.”

“You have a point, I suppose. But come one, you’ve gotta know she’s only doing it to get a rise out of you.” 

Sagira didn’t speak, merely watching the Ghost and his Guardian with something akin to amusement.

Sunspot looked between Sagira and his Guardian, then sighed dramatically. “I hate both of you.”

“Aw buddy, we know that’s not true.” Helios laughed. “And besides, I’d never replace you. And she’d never replace Osiris.”

“He’s right. Osiris is a pain in the ass sometimes, but he’s  _ my  _ Guardian. I’m sure you feel the same.”

Sunspot looked from Sagira to Helios’ wide grin and back again. “On second thought, if you want him, you can have him.”

“Aw, Spot! You know you love me.”


	3. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helios and Crow have a talk.
> 
> Set after [Say you'll haunt me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27800626)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't intend for Helios to get so attached to Crow, but here we are. I might expand on this one later.

After three cold and long days on Europa followed by an exhausting stop at the Dreaming City to run a few errands for Petra, all Helios wanted was to curl up in his bed and sleep for a week. The universe, of course, had other ideas.

“We’re getting a transmission,” Sunspot announced, “It’s Crow.”

“Patch him through,” Helios couldn’t help but smile at the thought of his new friend. When they’d first met, he’d been worried he wouldn’t be able to separate Uldren Sov and Crow. But it hadn’t taken more than a single conversation with him for Helios’ brain to stop seeing Uldren and to just see Crow, funny, charming, and gentle Crow.

Helios knew that Crow had a few less than stellar run-ons with other Guardians (and if Leo ever found out  _ which _ Guardians, he’d have a few words for them--any by  _ words  _ he meant  **bullets** ), so the fact that Crow had still been willing to take a chance that Helios would be different left Helios with a warm and surprisingly soft feeling in his chest. It also triggered Helios’ natural protective instinct, which explained the desire to shoot a few of his fellow Guardians.

“Hey pretty bird, it’s kinda late for you to be callin’ me, isn’t it? Not that I’m complaining.” 

“Helios,” there was something about Crow’s voice, an almost imperceptible quiver, “Are you nearby?” Yeah, that was  _ definitely  _ a sniffle; clearly, something was wrong.

“Are you on the Shore?” There was a sound that  _ could  _ have been a ‘yes’, so Helios would assume it was one, “I can be there soon,”

Crow ended the transmission before Helios could say anything else.

“I know I complain about your flying a lot, but just this once, I’ll ignore it,” Sunspot said, gently bumping against Helios’ shoulder, “He sounded pretty upset.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Helios replied, heading for the Tangled Shore at a surprising speed.

  
  


Sunspot knew his Guardian would worry until they touched down on the Tangled Shore and he could see for himself exactly what was wrong. So, he wouldn’t begrudge him some dangerous flying, at least not this time.

* * *

  
  
  


The Tangled Shore was surprisingly quiet when they landed--were his head not full of worst-case scenarios concerning Crow and Glint, Helios might have stopped to enjoy it. But there wasn’t time for anything other than getting to Spider’s hideout as quickly as possible.

Helios could feel Spider’s gaze on him as he rushed past the Eliksni but he couldn’t be bothered by whatever Spider might be thinking, not when he was only a few feet from where he needed to be.

The door slid open, revealing an agitated looking Glint. 

“You’re here! Thank goodness!” The Ghost hasn’t been Helios’ biggest fan at first, understandably. After the awful way other Guardians had treated Crow when they’d first met, why would the Guardian that had actually  _ killed  _ him be any different than the others? But he was. Helios was always gentle with Crow--treating him not as though he were fragile, but as if he were  _ precious  _ like some kind of treasure.

“Of course I’m here, he asked for me,” Helios replied. He could just make out Crow’s figure at the back of the room, head in his hands.

“What happened?” Sunspot asked as Helios made his way over to Crow.

“Nightmare, I think,” Glint replied, “I tried to help but I guess it wasn’t enough.”

“I’m sure you did your best,” Sunspot said comfortingly.

Kneeling down in front of Crow, Helios gently placed a hand on Crow’s knee. “Hey,” he greeted softly.

Crow looked up at him, eyes red. “Leo…”

“What’s wrong? Whose ass do I need to kick?” He asked, earning the ghost of a smile from Crow. 

“I keep having this nightmare,” Crow replied, “It’s so real…”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Helios prompted.

Crow didn’t respond, turning his attention back to the floor of his room.

“That’s okay, I get it.” Helios paused, shifting so he was sitting against Crow’s cot. Maybe if he opened up, he could coax Crow to do the same? After all, he couldn’t do much to assuage his friend’s fears if he didn’t know what they were. Of course, if Crow wasn’t comfortable enough to share, then he supposed he could live with that as long as he at least  _ tried.  _

“I’ve had this one nightmare off and on for years now, and I’ve never talked about it,” Helios paused, sighing and running a hand through his hair. “I’m on Ghaul’s ship overlooking the City; the Traveler is trapped, the light is gone and I’m  _ helpless  _ as Ghaul kicks ‘Spot off the edge of the ship. Then, he’s got me by the throat, dangling me over the edge and I know he’s going to drop me. Those things actually happened during the Red War, but in the nightmare, Cayde-6 shows up to rescue me, gun and sarcastic quip at the ready; except, he doesn’t get more than three steps onto the deck before he’s gunned down and I can hear screaming in the streets below and I keep trying to do something,  **anything** to get free but I’m useless. And I know that every death, every injury is  _ my  _ fault; that if I was faster, stronger,  **better** I could have stopped all of it. That’s when Ghaul drops me, and usually, where I wake up,” Screaming, he didn’t add though he knew that Sunspot was probably thinking it.

Crow placed a hand on his shoulder, “You could never be useless. You’re amazing.”

Helios felt his face flush, he never had learned to take a compliment. “Thanks, I know that  _ logically _ . I mean, I know I’m capable, and I’ve learned that I can’t save everyone but it won’t stop me from trying. But it’s easy to get lost in your own head and focus on your doubts and failings. That’s a part of life. But it’s not a burden you have to carry alone.”

Crow was silent for a moment before sliding off the cot to sit shoulder to shoulder with Helios. 

“I’m in a dark place--a room or a cell, I can never tell. And I can hear a quiet voice whispering things to me, though I can never tell what it’s saying, I know I don’t want to hear it. I keep screaming for someone, anyone to free me but no one ever does,” Crow said finally, “I’ve never felt so lost and alone.”

Carefully, Helios reached over and grabbed Crow’s hand, threading their fingers together. 

“You’re not alone, not ever. You have Glint, and you have me--even in dreams or nightmares, ok? Next time, just imagine me transmatting in and shooting whatever is upsetting you in the face because I most certainly would do that if you needed.”

Crow managed a real smile at that, squeezing Helios’ hand, “Thank you, Leo.”

“It’s no problem,” Helios assured him, “You should probably get some sleep though, it’s really late.”

“I”m not sure I could after that,” Crow replied.

“I could hang around and tell you dumb fireteam stories if you wanted?” Helios offered.

“I wouldn’t want to impose any more than I already have,” Crow answered.

Helios chuckled softly, “I wouldn’t have offered if it was an imposition.”

“I would like that then,” Crow agreed quietly.

They sat like that for a long time, fingers still intertwined as Helios told story after story about himself and his fireteam. Eventually, he felt Crow’s head hit his shoulder and he couldn’t keep the smile from his face. He really  _ should  _ move Crow up to the cot and leave, but he didn’t want to take the chance of waking Crow up. So instead, Helios simply closed his eyes and let sleep take him as well.

  
  


“They’re both going to be sore tomorrow,” Glint commented quietly.

“True, but at least they’ll both have slept,” Sunspot replied.

“Good point,” Glint agreed before going and settling in Crow’s hood. Sunspot followed his example, resting in Helios’ lap.


	4. Ghost Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glint and Sunspot have a little chat.
> 
> Set between [Say you'll haunt me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27800626) and [Nightmares](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24946954/chapters/68624748)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was part of something longer that I scrapped, but I liked this bit too much.

“You don’t seem to like me much,” Helios said to Glint as they stood in the doorway. Crow was tinkering with something at his desk, so absorbed in what he was doing that Leo had a feeling he wasn’t even aware he was there.

“I know who you are, and what you did,” Glint replied.

“And you’re afraid that I’m going to what? Tell him who he was? Shoot him again?” Helios asked, keeping his voice low.

There was a definite twitch from Glint’s shell, yeah, that was ~ _ definitely _ ~ a glare--as much as a Ghost  _ could _ glare at someone.

“I understand, he’s your Guardian; it’s only natural that you’d be worried about him. And while you know my reputation and what I’ve done, you don’t know  _ me _ so I get why you’d assume the worst. The thing is, I’m not going to hurt him.” Helios replied. “In fact, anyone who gets it into their heads to hurt him or you is going to have to go through me first.”

“Why?” Glint asked curiously.

“The man that I shot in the Dreaming City, he isn’t him. I saw that the first time I looked into his eyes: the pain, and anger, and hurt that used to be there was gone. He’s kind and he’s gentle, and he’s a Guardian. We get a clean slate, a fresh start the first time we’re rezzed; it’s a mercy, to be unburdened by past sins and regrets. He deserves that, maybe more than anyone I’ve ever known. So, if anything from his past rears its head, it will have to go through me first. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really do need to speak to him.” Helios made his way to the back of the room, leaving both Glint and Sunspot by the door.

“Leo is a lot of things,” Sunspot said, “But above all, he’s  _ good _ . And he always keeps his word, and he helps people,” That was one of the things that Sunspot both liked and hated about his Guardian. Helios had a tendency to get involved in things that didn’t concern them because he wanted to help others. While it felt nice to know they were out there making a difference in the universe, sometimes Sunspot wished Helios would take a break.

  
  


_ ‘You need a vacation, Leo’,  _ Sunspot had told him repeatedly.

‘ _ Not happening, ‘Spot _ \-- _ Last time I took a vacation, the Red Legion attacked the Tower,’  _ He always replied. It was an understandable fear, but the chances of someone else attacking the Tower while Helios was on vacation were pretty low.

  
  
  


“Why put himself in potential danger?” Glint asked again, interrupting Sunspot’s internal monologue, “From everything I’ve heard, they were enemies.”

“It was more complicated than that. To answer the question though, it’s because he couldn’t save him before. Helios is by his very nature, a protector. And the fact that he couldn’t save Cayde, or  **him** , hurt him a lot more than he’s willing to admit.” 

Sunspot had never liked Uldren Sov, in fact, it was safe to say that he  _ loathed _ the Awoken Prince and had ever since that first meeting where he’d held a knife to Helios’ throat. But Helios  **had** liked him, insisting that despite appearances, Uldren couldn’t be a  _ complete _ asshole. And Sunspot would never forgive Uldren for betraying Helios’ trust in the worst way.

But Crow  **wasn’t** Uldren. And Sunspot wasn’t about the hold the light-bearer accountable for something he hadn’t done. All he wanted was for Glint to give his Guardian the same chance.

“Why tell me this?” Glint watched Sunspot carefully.

“I’m not asking you to  _ like _ Helios, but you can trust him with Crow. Just give him a chance, is all I’m asking--he’ll surprise you, he’s good at that,” Sunspot promised before heading over to where his Guardian was leaning against the worktable. 

Glint was left by the door, wondering if Sunspot was right; could he trust the Young Wolf with Crow? Only time would tell, Glint supposed.


	5. Guns in my head and they won't go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helios and his teammate Cypher have a talk about regret, legacies, and hope.

Helios spent a lot of his free time sitting atop the Tower. He liked being up high and he liked the solitude. Ever since the Prison of Elders, it felt like the only place he could breathe and think. All this time, he’d put on a brave face for the Vanguard and his fireteam and the City, because they were all grieving Cayde’s loss in their own ways and somebody had to stay focused on protecting the City.

The truth was that he’d been drowning in grief, self-loathing, and regret for what felt like an eternity now. He’d never known failure nor loss until Cayde’s death. Up until then, he’d always succeeded at any task he’d undertaken. Cayde had been his closest friend and never once did Helios ever imagine he’d lose him.

But he had lost him. And the pain of that loss had driven him to go to extraordinary lengths for vengeance. He had killed Uldren Sov without a second thought, and it had only complicated things. The Awoken Prince’s death _had_ brought Helios closure, at least in part. Until regret set in. Uldren had been so lost and hurt for so long that in the end, killing him had seemed to be as much of a mercy for him as it was closure for Helios. But it felt like a failure on Helios’ part that he hadn’t even tried to help Uldren. Because that was what he did, he _helped_ others. But he hadn’t, and he regretted it.

At the time, Sunspot had pleaded with him not to kill Uldren, saying that Cayde wouldn’t want him to do it, while Petra had insisted that if Cayde was there, he would put an end to Uldren. The thing was, Helios had realized later, they were _both_ right. 

If the roles were reversed, Cayde would have taken revenge but he also wouldn’t want someone to carry that sort of burden. But stubbornly, Helios had ignored Sunspot. And taken the easy way out. So, this had been his burden to bear ever since. And it had pulled him deeper and deeper into despair. Because what was the point of fighting if all you did was fail the people that mattered most?

* * *

  
  


That was when things had seemed their darkest and most hopeless. Just when he was beginning to give up completely, something happened.

Osiris had sent him into the corridors of time to rescue Saint-14. And Helios had heard familiar despair in the legendary hero’s voice on Zephyr station. And in saving Saint and inspiring him to keep fighting, Helios had, in turn, remembered why _he_ was fighting. It was never going to be an easy fight, and he would probably lose others along the way, but he had to at least _try_ to save them. And after that, he’d somehow managed to mostly claw his way back to some semblance of the person he’d been before the Prison of Elders.

This is of course when the universe decided to throw him a curveball in the form of a light-bearer called Crow. And Crow was the reason he was about to do something that past him would never have imagined possible.

  
  


“Hey, you said you wanted to see me and when you weren’t at your apartment, I figured I’d find you here,” Cypher’s familiar voice preceded him by mere moments. The Hunter came into view wearing a familiar cape and taking a seat next to Helios.

“Hey, sorry if I was hard to find,” Helios replied. 

Cypher waved it off, “You’re not as enigmatic as you think; you go like four places in the City and Tower besides your apartment. This spot is your favorite, and I can see why,” he gestured to the breathtaking view spread out before them.

Helios let his own gaze follow Cypher’s movement, staring out at the City below them. He and the Hunter hadn’t always gotten along even though they belonged to the same Fireteam, despite all that, Helios would call them friends. 

“So, what’s on your mind, Leo?” Cypher asked curiously, his Ghost, Code floating over his shoulder.

Sunspot bumped against his shoulder, “Helios, are you _sure_ you wanna do this?”

“Yeah. Can you bring it out for me?” He asked.

The Ghost was silent for a moment, then transmatted a familiar gun into Helios’ waiting hands.

  
  


“I want you to have this,” Helios told Cypher.

“What? Why?” Cypher asked. When Cayde had left the Ace of Spades to Helios, he’d been upset. Helios wasn’t a Hunter, why was he being left Cayde’s gun? He’d realized later it was because Helios, as a Warlock, wasn’t Cayde’s responsibility; he didn’t have to be Cayde-6 Hunter Vanguard with Leo, he could just be Cayde. Cypher had long since gotten over being upset about it. 

He knew how important that gun was to Helios, so why was he trying to give it away?

  
  


“It used to be that when I looked at this gun, I remembered Cayde and all the trouble we got up to. I remembered his laugh and the way I sometimes wanted to strangle him, like when his ridiculous plan ended up with me being stuck in front of Oryx’s dreadnought with a malfunctioning stealth drive--it was a memento of my friend,” Helios explained.

Cypher watched Helios stare at the gun in his hands.

“Then, I met Crow. Gentle and kind Crow who dislikes the sound of hand cannons, _especially_ this one and how could he not?” he sighed, “I look at this gun now and I don’t think of Cayde. All I can think about is how far I went in the name of vengeance.”

  
  


“Leo,” Cypher cut in, “I think you’re being a little hard on yourself.”

  
  


“I’m really not,” Helios replied, “See, the person I was when I got this gun let himself be consumed by hate. He was the type of person that would have killed Crow for another man’s crimes; I don’t want to be that person. I’ve been picking at this wound all this time and wondering why it wouldn’t heal. The answer, of course, is because I won’t let it. So, I’m letting it all go, all the hate and the guilt. Cayde was my friend and I will miss him every day for the rest of my life but I’m not gonna dwell on that loss anymore.” 

Helios gently placed the gun in Cypher’s hands.

“The Ace of Spades doesn’t deserve to sit in a vault and collect dust. It deserves to be used by someone who will use it, who understands and treasures it. Cayde couldn’t officially play favorites with his Hunters but I know you were one of his favorites. And you’re my friend; I trust you with it and I think he’d be glad to know it went to you.”

Cypher ran a hand reverently over the gun, “Thank you,” he said quietly.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Cypher glanced down at the holster on Helios’ hip and the gun that now resided there, “I heard the Traveler led you and Crow to a gun, is that it?” He asked.

Helios’ whole face lit up in a way Cypher had never seen before as he pulled the gun from its holster. “Yeah, this is Hawkmoon.”

“It’s beautiful,” Cypher commented as he looked it over.

“It is a bright light at the end of a very dark tunnel for me,” Helios admitted, “I was beginning to think maybe the Traveler didn’t want anything to do with me anymore.”

Cypher’s smile was warm, with just a hint of mischief as he watched his friend, “He’s really good for you, isn’t he? Crow, I mean. Your whole face lit up at the mention of him, it was kind of adorable.”

Golden eyes went wide as Helios’ face darkened a shade or two.

“I’m just giving you a hard time Leo, _clearly_ you like him and he’s a good influence on you. Let’s just call this payback for all the times you’ve teased me and Zhare.”

“Ass,” Helios muttered.

Cypher laughed, “So, when do we get to meet him?”

“You and Zhare want to meet Crow?” Helios asked in confusion.

“Absolutely. The way you talk about him, he must be pretty special. Plus, don’t you think he could do with a few more Guardian friends that aren’t trying to hurt him?”

“You have a point,” Helios admitted.

“Besides, Zhare hears you got all moon-eyed talking about him and she might go looking for him herself.”

“Another good point. I guess you guys can come to the Shore with me next time I go.” Helios said.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Cypher said as he rose to his feet. “Listen, thank you again for trusting me with this. You have no idea how much it means to me...actually, you probably do but still, thank you.”

“Somebody deserving needed to carry on his legacy; can’t think of anyone more deserving than you.” 

Helios watched Cypher walk away with a wave. Would Cayde be alright with his decision? He couldn’t say, but he hoped so. He had a chance to not be weighed down by his past regrets, a chance at a new beginning. Helios could certainly do with a fresh start.


	6. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Helios and his Ghost, Sunspot, have a short talk about the Ghost's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is obviously inspired by a line Ghost has about Saint right after you rescue him (I think?).

“I never told you this, but Saint-14 was one of the first Guardians I ever met.” Sunspot said as they sat on the roof of the tower. “That was a  _ loooong _ time before I ever found you. It was so long ago, in fact, that I think Osiris was still at the tower.”

“Really?” This was the first time Helios could recall Sunspot ever talking about his past. Sunspot often complained that he was stubborn in regards to dealing with some of the darker moments of his current life, but the Ghost wasn’t really any better. They both tended to bottle things up, like Guardian, like Ghost he supposed; Leo had been working on sharing more recently and it seemed that perhaps Sunspot was making an attempt as well.

Sunspot had seen so much before he found him on the desolate strip in the Cosmodrome. And while the Ghost had been alone all that time, he wasn’t alone now; he shouldn’t have to carry any of that baggage alone.

“Saint was kind to me, took the time to listen to me and give me advice; not all Guardians were nice to nameless, guardianless ghosts,” Sunspot explained.

Helios frowned at the thought of someone being mean to Sunspot. Sure, the Ghost was stubborn, highly opinionated, and chatty. But that was no reason to be mean to him, “You tell me which Guardians and I’ll kick their asses.” 

“Leo…” 

“No, I’m serious,” Helios insisted. “Give me their names and they can meet me in the Crucible for an ass-kicking.”

“Most of them are gone now,” Sunspot answered. Centuries of endless warfare had cost the lives of many and while Sunspot had never  _ liked _ the Guardians who were mean to him, he’d never have wished them  **dead** . 

The wind whistled around them, and Helios turned his attention from Sunspot to the horizon. He’d never been great at expressing things, it always came out a little stilted and awkward. So, for what he was going to say next, he was just going to keep his focus on the City down below and hope that made things easier.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, and sorry they never got a chance to see how awesome you are,” Helios sighed, “I know I give you a hard time sometimes about being uptight, or bossy but the truth of the matter is, I couldn’t have done any of what I’ve done without you and your support. If I’m a hero, you are even more so.”

It was true; if Helios knew nothing else he knew that he would be nothing without Sunspot. Not only because the Ghost was his connection to the Light. No, every time he hit a point where he felt as though he couldn’t go on, Sunspot was there with a witty quip or words of encouragement. And somehow, whatever he had to say was always the exact thing Helios needed to hear.

“Thank you,” If Sunspot could blush, he’d be red as a tomato. “Saint gave me hope that I’d find my Guardian, you, right when I was beginning to doubt that I ever would, and he said that when I did that they would be  **amazing** \--he was right. I used to hope that you’d be like him, someone  _ good _ and  _ kind _ .” It had been the only thing Sunspot had wanted in a Guardian. And thankfully, he’d gotten exactly what he wanted: someone who never stopped trying to help others and make the world a better place.

“That’s a lot of pressure to put on a guy.” Helios joked, turning his attention back to Sunspot, “Saint casts a pretty long shadow.”

“You’ve never disappointed, you know?” Sunspot replied. “We’ve disagreed over things, yes, and you’ve struggled and stumbled once or twice, but I’ve never once been  **disappointed** in you.”

Helios smiled up at his companion, “That’s good to hear. I’m not sure I could handle you being disappointed in me.”

Sunspot bumped gently against Helios’ shoulder, “I waited a long time for you Leo, and I’m so glad you’re my Guardian.”

“I’m glad I’m yours too, buddy,” Helios replied before clearing his throat. “Now, we’d better knock off the sappy stuff before I start crying.”

Sunspot laughed softly, “How about we head to the Crucible?”

“Yes!” Helios exclaimed jumping to his feet, “Great idea. Let’s go!”

  
  



End file.
